Virginia Beach man receives 17 months for illegally possessing ammunition, driving under influence of drugs in New Kent

A Virginia Beach man will spend 17 months in jail for several crimes after pleading guilty during Monday morning proceedings in New Kent Circuit Court.

Chad Jacob Turner, 35, of the 2300 block of Ft. Chesapeake Quay, entered guilty pleas to possession of a Schedule I/II drug, an amended charge of possession of ammunition by a convicted felon (originally possession of a gun by a convicted felon), misdemeanor obstruction of justice, and misdemeanor driving under the influence (second offense).

In a summary of evidence by New Kent Commonwealth’s Attorney Scott Renick, on May 2, 2023, New Kent Sheriff’s Office received a call for service about a vehicle sitting at the Valero gas pump for more than an hour. When a deputy arrived, they found the vehicle running and the defendant inside. As the officer went to speak with the suspect, later identified as Turner, he noticed hypodermic needles in the passenger seat. The deputy asked Turner to step out of the car and not reach for anything as he did. Turner disobeyed, attempting to reach for something on his side. The officer was able to restrain Turner and arrested him for driving under the influence. A more thorough search of the vehicle discovered a backpack that had gun ammunition inside of it. The needles were sent to the forensics lab, with tests returning the substance inside of the needles as methamphetamine.

Under the agreement, Turner received a 10-year sentence with eight years, five months suspended on the possession of a Schedule I/II drug. He received a one-year sentence with all but 20 days suspended on the misdemeanor DUI conviction, with the imposed time being mandatory under the state statute. All five years on the possession of ammunition conviction and all 12 months on the obstruction of justice conviction were suspended. He must also pay $2,500 in fines.

In an unrelated case, a Richmond woman will spend six months in jail after accepting the terms of a plea agreement.

Maria De Jesus Barrios, 32, of the 2900 block of N. Parham Road, Richmond, entered guilty pleas to one count each of possession of a Schedule I/II drug and misdemeanor obstruction of justice. One charge of failure to appear and misdemeanor violating the conditions of pretrial were suspended.

In a summary of evidence, on Mar. 2, 2023, a New Kent deputy responded for a call for service at the Pilot Travel Plaza on Emmaus Church Road about a suspicious vehicle. When the officer arrived, they noticed a blue Ford with damage. As another deputy arrived on the scene, one of the suspects took off from the vehicle with the officer giving chase. As the officer chased the suspect, Barrios chased the officer on foot, trying to disrupt the pursuit. The second deputy was able to detain Barrios and arrested her for the obstruction charge. A search of Barrios discovered a folded-up lottery ticket with a white substance inside. The substance was sent to the forensics lab, with results revealing that it contained cocaine, heroin, and Fentanyl.

Under the agreement, Barrios received a five-year sentence with four years, six months suspended (six months to serve) on the possession of a Schedule I/II drug conviction. All 12 months on the misdemeanor obstruction of justice charge were suspended, but the defendant must pay $1,000 in fines.